There's no place like home ...

This week I was on the Hill (Saint Meinrad)for several days for Community meetings. I didn't realize how much I missed the locale of Southern Indiana until I drove down into the hills with all the trees and farms and QUIET. When I got out of the car Monday morning, I was immediately struck by the deafening silence on the Hill ... it was wonderful. The days were cool and clear with a nice breeze, and I spent a good bit of time walking around outside.

The meetings themselves went well ... not that we came to any great resolutions or conclusions, but good discussion was had. A number of us "expositi" (those placed outside the Monastery) were home. Unfortunately, a number of people who usually are at home weren't ... go figure.

After the meeting on Tuesday evening, I asked the monk who was assigned to have Mass for the Sisters at Ferdinand on Wednesday if I could take the Mass over there ... he looked somewhat puzzled and asked "Why?" and I said "Because I miss them." The Sisters were quite surprised when I walked out onto the Altar, and I got to visit with a number of themn after Mass. After Breakfast I went up to their Infirmary to check on a few Sisters and had a nice quick visit up there. Several of the Sisters mentioned that they read this blog occasionally ... and I remarked "Probably more like when I occasionally post something." I haven't kept touch with them very well, but I haven't kept touch with alot of people lately ... ask my Family.

These are "high holy days" here in Indy ... this is RACE WEEKEND. As I sit typing, the streets around the Cathedral are blocked off for staging areas and parking for participants in the parade. The parade used to come past the Cathedreal, but now "de-stages" two blocks south. Streets are supposed to be open and cleared in plenty of time for folks to get here for 5pm Mass. A Parishioner invited me to go to the track for Carburation Day with him yesterday (Friday) but I was booked up. No, I'm not going to the race tomorrow, either. I understand I'll be able to hear the roar of the race from here, though ...

No plans for Memorial Day ... if the weather is good, I have more flowers to plant. I also need to get some new stuff to replace the shrubs I cut down. I think I'm gonna go with holly bushes ... I found some at a good price at Home Depot.

When I got in the car on Wednesday to drive back to Indy, there was a big part of me that wanted to stay there. When I mentioned it to one of the staff, she said "Well, then, we just won't let you go home anymore." I have no idea what I'll do when I go back next year (they seem to be needing dishwashers these days) but that's OK. For the next year this is my assignment, and it's good ... but there's no place like home.

20 Years

Last week I observed my 20th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood. Twenty years. I almnost got weepy during the 8:00 Mass ... keenly aware and mindful of all those who were part of getting me to that day, those who have been a part of the years since, those who are a part of my days now, and those who will be part of years yet to be. In years past I would try to go through the pictures of the Ordination and watch a little of the video on or around the Anniversary, but I don't have any of that with me here in Indy. So instead, I took an afternoon drive down to Calvary Cemetery here in Indianapolis (it's on the south side) to visit the tomb of Archbishop O'Meara, the man who ordained me Deacon and Priest. We had a very nice prayerful visit, then I came home and made some supper for a quiet evening here at the house.

I've been doing a bit of yard work here about the grounds in some of my off time ... planting some groundcover, splitting the hostas, and getting ready for our flower planting. Today I took a saw to some dead limbs on the trees in front of the house and cut down some shrubs that had gotten too big and bushy on top but bare and twiggy underneath. Now to figure out what to put in their place .... and then go SHOPPING. I do my research on the net and watch for sales at the home improvement places ...

I had two pots of calla lillies on the back Altar in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, and they did quite well these last weeks of Easter ...now I think I'll put them in a big planter outside on the Chapel Porch. I also want to get some tomato plants for a container on the porch off of our kitchenette upstairs...I think there will be enough sun.

I head to the Hill next week for Community Meetings... the topic is monks assigned away from the Monastery, so it would probably be good for me to be there. I haven't been home since January, so this will be a chance to get caught up with people.

As for everything else ... grace provides ... life is good.

Post Papa

If you were looking for me on TV, you didn't find me .... our seats were in the fourth pew from the BACK of St. Patrick's Cathedral...in the corner by the gift shop. The priests were all seated in the side sections, alphabetical according to Diocese, so Indianapolis put us way to the back of the south side. I sat next to Joliet, in front of Knoxville and Kansas City. And I was behind a pillar ... so I participated in Mass watching the flat-screen monitor mounted on the pillar. BUT, since we were so far in the back, we got a decent view of B16's arrival at the Cathedral. Then, the recessional brought him down our side aisle, so I was about two feet away from him. He's much shorter than I thought. I could have reached out to touch him, but the Secret Service were pushing people away ... some people said the Secret Service guys nearly body-blocked a bunch of little nuns who stepped out into the center aisle when Papa was passing by.

No, I didn't have to crawl into a porta-potty in full Mass vestements.

Getting through the Secutiry was really pretty simple ... much less the hassle than an airport. The two and a half hours we were in the Cathedral BEFORE PAPA EVEN ARRIVED passed rather quickly. Get a bunch of priests together and they gab as much as anyone ... there was lots of "Oh, do you know...?" and "So-and-so was my classmate". I spotted a group of Sisters I knew form Connecticut, so made my way over to them, and bumped into priests I knew from Toledo and Sioux City, Iowa.

I was defintiely in my travelling mode ... Stephen's apartment was on 73rd Street, and the Cathedral was down on 51st Street ...and I walked it several times. The only time I took the taxi was Saturday morning at 6am on the way to the Mass, and that's only so I didn't get sweaty before a long morning in vestments. I walked down and back on Friday afternoon to scope out my seat, then back up to the apartment on Saturday afternoon, then down and back for Sunday Mass at the Cathedral. I also walked another twenty blocks down and back to meet up with friends for dinnder Saturday evening. I pushed my way through the sidewalk tourists like a native ...

Sunday morning I got to concelebrate Mass at the Cathedral with the Rector there. It was fun processing up that long aisle ... and the place was, of course, packed. I enjoyed getting to see up close where Papa had stood the day before, and get a sense of the Cathedral from the Sanctuary.

I didn't even go NEAR Yankee Stadium. Instead, I took an afternoon taxi to Brooklyn for dinner and overnight with Brendan's Parents. Then they took me to the airport on Monday morning.

Since getting back it's pretty much business as usual ...as the Easter Season winds down, we're planning for summer events like Priesthood Ordinations and the Ordination of the first class of Permanent Deacons for the Archdiocese ... 25 of them. I'm also on the Executive Committee for the big bash for the Archdiocese's 175th Anniversary on May 3, 2009. That will be Mass with ALL the Confirmations for the year at the new Lucas Oil Stadium (new home of the Colts). We're looking to have 30,000 people, give or take ten thousand. So far, the largest Mass I've planned and orchestrated was for only 3,000 ... so this will be a bit more of a challenge...but fun.

In the meantime, there's ordinary business to attend to.